


I only have eyes for you

by Bill_Longbow



Series: Kinktober [4]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Kinktober 2019, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Praise Kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 19:36:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21124112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bill_Longbow/pseuds/Bill_Longbow
Summary: Bucky can't get enough of complimenting Tony.





	I only have eyes for you

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Kinktober day 14: Praise kink, as requested by an anon on Tumblr.
> 
> Never thought this fic would turn out as soft as it did, but there you go. Thank you again to [Betheflame](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Betheflame/) for betaing!

"Those new sticky arrows are the best, Lite-Brite," Clint hollers as he jogs to the fridge.

Tony doesn't look up from where he's tinkering with the toaster after Thor stuffed it with too many Hot Pockets. "Of course they are, Katniss, I made them, get with the times."

His tone of voice is casual, almost bored, but Bucky notices how the tips of Tony’s ears turn the softest shade of pink, and he files away the information for later.

\---

“_Good _ , _ kotenok _, hold that pose a little longer…” 

Bucky pauses mid bench press to watch Natalia drill Tony in some complicated yoga pose. He’s usually more sneaky in checking the genius out, but the sight of Tony holding his own leg behind his back, his back beautifully arched and one arm outstretched makes Bucky almost drop the weight.

“Well done,” Nat praises Tony as she helps him back on two feet. Even from a distance it’s clear Tony leans into the touch, a soft smile on his face. He looks relaxed in a way he rarely does, and Bucky doesn’t think it’s the yoga that did it.

\---

During a mission, that stupid punk best friend of his jumps off a building so he can take out the leader of the robot army that scurried up out of the sewers. Tony only barely manages to intercept him, swooping in an impossible curve to pull him up by the straps on his back.

Back on the ground Tony flips up his faceplate, clearly to chew Steve out, but Bucky watches as Steve pulls the flabbergasted genius into a bear hug.

“_Thank you, _Tony,” Steve says, giving Tony that trademark sincere look of his.

Tony’s too blown away to respond, and when Steve turns away to help organize the clean up Bucky steps up to Tony.

“That was some top notch flying,” he says and isn’t disappointed. Just before the faceplate covers Tony’s face again it’s clear he’s blushing all the way down to his neck.

“Of course it was,” the tin voice of Iron Man replies cockily, but Bucky knows better now.

\---

It’s no coincidence Bucky notices all these things. He’s made something of a study of his benefactor, the resident genius, playboy, philanthropist. (Bucky’s not interested in the billionaire part, although he can’t deny he hasn’t profited greatly from Tony’s army of lawyers and shrinks.) Tony is a study in contrasts, but Bucky is nothing if not patient. The more he sees of Tony the more he wants to know, wants to be closer, and this recent piece of the puzzle gives him the perfect opportunity.

\---

Bucky knocks on the glass door to the workshop. It's unnecessary when the doors slide open of their own accord, but he's raised like that, and decades of brainwashing can’t completely undo Winifred Barnes' upbringing. 

Tony doesn’t even hear him enter, but Jarvis is nice enough to lower the music to a more human level. Tony looks up distractedly, but smiles when he sees Bucky hovering awkwardly near the door.

“Is it Thursday already? Come on, hop onto your seat. Jarvis, specs, please.”

The holograms Tony was working on disappear to make room for what Bucky recognizes as a 3D rendering of the circuitry of his arm. He makes his way to the chair Tony put in his lab specifically to put Bucky at ease - a bright pink, fluffy affair - as Tony puts away what he was working on and pulls the cart with precision tools closer. Tony has been slowly replacing every part of Bucky’s arm, after Bucky adamantly refused to have the thing replaced in its entirety. No more operations on him. Ever. 

Bucky has decided to take his hypothesis and go all out today, and he waits for Tony to take his place on his customary stool. 

“I love being in your lab,” Bucky starts with, when Tony moves closer. Tony doesn’t look up from where he’s sorting through his screwdrivers, but his pleased smile is clear.

“Yeah?” 

“Hmm,” Bucky nods, watching Tony’s face closely as he opens up the plates in Bucky’s wrist. “It makes me feel safe.”

Complimenting Tony’s lab is as close as you can get to compliment Tony himself, without actually doing that. Bucky knows he’s pulling out the big guns right away, but go big or go home, right? 

Tony looks up at him in surprise, his eyes sparkling while he obviously tries not to preen. It’s not often the genius is rendered speechless, but when it happens he’s so unbelievably pretty. They hold eye contact for a second before Tony looks down again, concentrating intently on marking the wiring he wants to replace.

“I can outfit your apartment in fuzzy pinks as well if you want.” 

Bucky smirks. Tony couldn’t have given him a better opening if he wanted to.

“Only if I’ll find you spread out on them, doll.”

Tony huffs a laugh and shakes his head, turning away to get a screwdriver. "Very smooth, snowflake. Unfortunately pink clashes with my skin tone."

An image of Tony in a pink corset blooms in Bucky's mind, and it robs him of the power of speech for a moment. Too long for a comeback, and Tony works in silence for a while. Bucky loves watching him work, has memorized every line of his face. The curve of his nose and the dip of his cheeks, the place where stray hairs grow first after a day of no shaving. He knows the exact shade of pink Tony's lips are when he's bitten them in concentration, knows how the colour of his eyes can shift from a soft chocolaty brown to almost amber. To say Bucky holds a candle for Tony Stark would be an understatement. 

"This is gonna sting." Tony makes Bucky look up from where he had been thinking about how soft Tony's hair would feel. 

There's a slight buzzing sensation from his fingertips through his shoulder straight to his spine and back. When that's fizzled out Bucky looks at Tony expectantly. Something significant just happened, but he's not sure what yet. 

"No pain?" Tony asks, and his worried look, with his hair mussed all over his forehead, warms Bucky from the inside out. It's not just lust that he feels for this man, it's much more. 

"Should there be?"

Instead of answering, Tony smiles mischievously and picks up a screw. "Hold that, please."

Without thought, Bucky takes it between the thumb and pointer finger of his metal hand, his eyes widening as he _ feels it clearly. _ He feels the exact shape and how cold the metal is, and even the minute grooves press clearly against the metal of his fingers. He used to have sensation in his arm, otherwise he wasn’t a useful tool, but that meant the thing always, always hurt. The first thing to do when Tony started his maintenance was power down the sensory input until it felt like he was wearing a boxing glove. And now it was back. Free of pain.

“_ Tony,” _ Bucky chokes up.

“Hold on, Elsa, we need to calibrate first.”

Tony gives him seemingly random stuff to hold and touch; soft, rough, sharp, cold, hot. Every time he’s not satisfied with Bucky’s answer, he takes his screwdriver and tweaks, unil Bucky can name all the fabrics in the lab by touch alone.

After Tony puts the plates back Bucky takes a chance. He reaches out slowly, the air crackling with tension between them when Tony looks up to watch him. He ever so gently touches Tony's cheek, revelling in the sensation against his fingertips. When Tony doesn't pull back Bucky strokes the hair away from his forehead, smiling dopily.

"Soft," he sighs, "your hair is as soft as it looks."

"Bet you tell all your landlords that," Tony quips as he looks down, the faintest pink brushing his cheeks, but he doesn't pull back. 

Bucky grins. "Only the pretty ones."

The red on Tony's cheeks intensifies, and Bucky doesn't think he imagines Tony moving infinitesimally closer as he rummages through his tools to avoid eye contact. “Pff, sure.”

With the fingers of his metal hand Bucky cups Tony’s cheek, infinitesimally gentle now that he’s got his sense of touch back. Tony’s eyes dart between Bucky’s eyes, looking open and vulnerable in a way Bucky never saw yet, and it takes his breath away.

“It’s true,” he smiles softly. “I never saw eyes as beautiful as yours, Tony. I could stare at them indefinitely and never get bored.” 

Tony leans into the touch, his eyes glued to Bucky’s like he can’t get enough. 

“I love the way they sparkle when you’re enjoying yourself, love how your whole face scrunches up when you giggle.”

“I don’t giggle,” Tony counters without any heat, while all but rubbing his cheek against Bucky’s palm.

“Yeah, you do. It could well be my favourite sound.”

“Yeah?” Tony smiles, “I’d think it’d be… I don’t know, puppies yawning or something.”

“Puppies yawning is a close second,” Bucky grins and strokes Tony’s cheek with his thumb. “But they never made me wonder what their lips would taste like.”

It’s out of his mouth before Bucky knows it, and they stare at each other for a fraction of a second before Tony bursts out in those giggles Bucky loves so much. 

“Wow. That’s… I think it’s better if we never mention that again,” he chuckles, his whole face alight.

“Fair enough.” Bucky can’t stop smiling at Tony, can’t move away either. It’s like there’s an invisible tether keeping him hooked. “I really want to kiss you now, doll. Can I?”

The smile fades off Tony’s lips, but not out of his eyes, which shine with an intensity Bucky rarely saw before. The minute nod Tony gives him is enough to lean forward slowly, inching closer until finally their lips meet.

Bucky’s eyes close on their own volition, just like his hand moves to tangle in Tony’s hair on its own accord. It’s just the barest touch, a soft brush of his lips against Tony’s, but it’s by far the best kiss he’s ever had, especially when he feels Tony’s lips curve into a smile when he pulls back.

“Wow,” Bucky breathes, leaning his forehead against Tony’s. 

“Yeah.”

“Best kiss ever.”

“Don’t overdo it, snowflake.” The tone is teasing, but Bucky knows by now the way Tony tilts his head a bit means he’s itching to hear more, a bit like a cat that pricks up its ears. 

“Might need to do it again to prove my point.”

“Man of science, are we?” 

Instead of countering, Bucky leans forward again and kisses Tony again. And again. And again. Until he can’t hold back and gently swipes his tongue over Tony’s lower lip. It’s his turn to smile into the kiss, when he feels Tony wrapping his arms around his shoulder and push closer, opening up for Bucky like a flower to the sun. 

He can’t get enough, could never get enough, and he pulls Tony into his lap, pulling him as close as he can.

Bucky doesn’t know how long they stay wrapped up like that, kissing languidly, sensuously. Learning the exact taste and shape of each other. It could be minutes, it could be months. Finally, Tony pulls back, smiling down at Bucky with red swollen lips, his hair a mess. 

“Beautiful,” Bucky smiles, reaching out again to brush the hair away from Tony’s face; the touch as special and intimate as when he first did so. 

_ I love you _ bubbles right under his surface, and threatens to burst out of his mouth unbidden. He knows it’s too soon though, that it would scare Tony away and not bring them closer. So Bucky keeps it hidden until later, but every compliment that he makes Tony screams those three words. Every touch, every praise.

Bucky loves Tony, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure Tony feels as precious as Bucky knows is.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on[Tumblr](http://bill-longbow.tumblr.com) or join us on the 16+ [ Stuckony discord server ](https://discord.gg/jtXcc3n) for all things Tony, Bucky and Steve!


End file.
